


All I Want For Christmas (Is A Good Night's Sleep)

by MoMoMomma



Series: The Joys of Step-Parenting [6]
Category: Captain America, Iron Man - All Media Types
Genre: Astro doesn't respect anyone's personal boundaries, Camden does not respect Howard's personal boundaries, Fluff, Grandpa!Howard, Grandpa!Steve, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M, Neither does Astro, Nightmares, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Tony Stark, Technically Christmas fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-15
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 14:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/762653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoMoMomma/pseuds/MoMoMomma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camden Stark has a nightmare, Tony Stark is still a child, and Howard Stark should keep his big trap shut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Want For Christmas (Is A Good Night's Sleep)

**Author's Note:**

> Have some fluff before I go on this ridiculous angst kick that will take everything out of me. This is actually the beginning of a longer one-shot but they didn't mesh quite correctly within the same story so I separated them. Camden will probably disappear for a while in the one-shot series after this, I've got a few others I want to get done that happen before he's born :D 
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy some Grampa Howard and Cammy fluff!

Howard Stark prided himself on being fairly hard to sneak up on. Years of looking over his shoulder in war zones, and recently having to dodge Bucky when he practiced his stealth, had made him extremely aware of his surroundings at all times. It didn’t matter if he was in the lab testing new tech or, as he was now, cuddled down in his bed trying to get a good night’s rest before tackling the hell that was Christmas in the Stark household. Therefore, when a pervading sense of _wrong_ pulled him from a particularly enjoyable dream of cuddling with Steve in a hammock on a beach, he quickly opened his eyes.

Only by the barest of margins did he resist screaming and hitting the ceiling by the sight of blue eyes so close to his he could see the individual shades that made the whole color.

“Camden,” Howard hissed, grimacing at the feel of the boy’s breath on his face. “Why are you out of bed? You know we don’t open presents until eight o’ clock.”

The boy drew back, blinking at him for a moment and Howard winced inwardly at how rough his voice had sounded.

“I know, Grampa. But I—I had a bad dream.” He whispered, inching his thumb towards his mouth.

Howard reached out and gently tapped his forearm with two fingers, making him drop it back down to his side. At three, Camden was far too old to be sucking his thumb but unfortunately Tony had also passed down the family’s obnoxious oral fixation and they were having a hell of a time breaking his habits.

Though Howard supposed it was better than Tony’s habit of chewing on hoodie strings, and his own smoking habit.

“Why didn’t you go to your Dad and your Papa?” He asked, freezing alongside Camden when Steve huffed in his sleep behind him.

They both relaxed as Steve settled after flipping onto his stomach, Astro re-settling himself between his husband’s splayed legs, both letting out a soft snore. Camden covered his mouth to stifle a giggle and Howard sighed softly in relief. If Cam was in the mood to giggle, the dream couldn’t have been that bad. But then again, he also hadn’t gone to Tony and Bucky which meant it had been bad enough to drive him to other sources of comfort.

“Because it was about Papaw.” Camden answered, staring back at Howard and frowning.

“About Steve? What about him, buddy?”

“I dreamed that he took Astro on the run and didn’t come home.” He whispered, a sheen of tears appearing in his eyes.

Howard resisted the urge to groan and flipped the covers up, Camden immediately hopping up onto the mattress and snuggling into the curve of Howard’s body. He pressed a soft kiss to the boy’s head, bringing the blanket down around both of them.

“Buddy, your Papaw is far too strong and smart to ever let anything happen to him. Besides, you know that Astro knows attack commands. Do you honestly think that he would ever let anything happen to him?”

Camden shook his head, flipping onto his back and looking up at Howard with eyes that were already less panicked.

“Then why did I have a bad dream, Grampa?” He asked, and Howard considered the question for a moment before answering.

“There isn’t really any concrete medical reasoning behind nightmares, Cam. But unfortunately, you’re at the age now where fears are starting to develop and your imagination is growing, so it’s not surprising that you had one to be honest. The best we can do is make sure you’re keeping emotionally and physically healthy and hope that doing so can prevent this in the future.” He explained, and fought back a grin when Camden nodded solemnly, seeming to think over the words.

Howard had made a promise to himself that he wasn’t ever going to talk to Camden like he was anything less than an adult and his intellectual equal, even if he was explaining things. There was no point in talking to Camden like he was anything less, and Howard secretly thought that his adherence to his personal rule was part of the reason Camden’s vocabulary was so much better than other children his age.

“Do you have nightmares?” The boy asked, and Howard nodded, settling deeper into his pillows and fighting back a yawn.

“I do, occasionally. I dream about your Papaw getting hurt, or your Dad. When you were a small baby I had quite a few worrying about if something was going to happen to you. But I know that nightmares aren’t real, they’re just images and scenario’s created by our minds.”

“You don’t worry about Papa?” Camden asked, frowning at him as Howard rolled his eyes.

“No, buddy, I don’t. Your Papa is more than capable of taking care of himself, so I don’t have to worry about him.” He explained and Camden’s facial expression said he agreed with Howard completely.

Camden huffed out a breath and twisted suddenly, crawling over Howard’s hip under the blanket and flopping down in the middle of the bed between him and Steve. Howard flipped with him, the movement bringing Astro’s head up from where it was propped on Steve’s ass, and really how in the hell _that_ habit got started Howard had no idea but the retriever had done it since he was a puppy. Steve inhaled at the movement and lifted his head from the pillow, blinking down at the boy who waved sleepily.

“Yeah, he is. Hi Papaw, I’m gonna go to bed now.”

Steve simply smiled sleepily and moved to press a soft kiss to Camden’s forehead, the boy’s eyes drifting shut immediately.

“Hey, no, wait. You’re not allowed to sleep here, Camden. Camden. Camden Stark, you open your eyes right now.” Howard prodded the boy, rolling his eyes and huffing out an exasperated breath when Camden merely grunted in response.

Steve smiled at him easily, settling back down into the pillow, Astro already having drifted off again, snoring softly.

“Just this once, Howard. It’s Christmas.” He murmured sleepily and Howard grimaced, looking down at the small boy who had already sprawled himself out as best he could, a boneless heap of sleepy toddler.

Just this once, he supposed, wouldn’t do much damage. ‘Tis the season, right?

“What’s the worst that could happen?” He mumbled as he laid his head back on the pillow and let his eyes close once more.

Come the next morning when he awoke with the entirety of Camden’s body sprawled atop him, Astro breathing in his face from where he had scooted up the bed to take over half of Howard’s pillow, and Steve’s powerful thigh pinning his legs to the mattress, Howard realized he really ought to shut his mouth from on.

Judging by the laughter from Bucky and Tony who had come slamming through the door in search of their son, they agreed.

Camden’s head popped up at the sound, causing a chain reaction that sent everything to hell. Howard jerked back to avoid getting his teeth knocked together, bopping Astro’s nose. The dog then jumped up, bounding off the bed towards Bucky and Tony. Apparently he’d used Steve as a springboard, going by the way the man jerked and hissed, curling himself away. Camden scrambled after his furry pal, managing, in his mad scramble of tiny limbs, to jam his knee in the one place guaranteed to make even Howard Stark whimper like a scared puppy. He rolled to the side, cupping himself and burying his head in the bed to stave off the bile that rose from his churning stomach at the pain.

“Grampa, what’s the matter?! Daddy, Grampa’s broken! Papaw, wake up, I broke Grampa!” Camden hollered, hopping back up behind him amidst howls of laughter from his parents.

Camden grabbed onto him with tiny hands through the covers, shaking him slightly as Steve rolled back over, blinking at him in worry.

“Grampa! What’s wrong, Grampa? GRAMPA!” He cried as Steve tried to speak through his own laughter, only laughing harder when Howard shot him a withering glare.

Camden’s weight suddenly vanished and Howard flipped onto his back, ignoring the bolt of pain that had him swallowing hard, to make sure the boy hadn’t tumbled off the edge. Bucky stood there, clutching Camden who was still demanding to know what he’d done to ‘break’ Howard. Tony strode over to brace a hand on Bucky’s shoulder, still laughing uproariously. Howard glared at him as well, flipping him the bird when Tony’s words rang out over Bucky trying to explain to Cam what he’d done.

“Merry Christmas, Dad!”

Suddenly, the words Bah Humbug didn’t seem so silly anymore.


End file.
